Packing/Luggage/Laundry ?'s

[jeeperwy]

OK,

Here is my issue. We are flying to WDW in January for a week. We are flying United, so we have to pay $15 for the first checked bag (one way) and $50 for the second checked bag. There are 4 of us and usually I bring 5 suitcases (I know, I pack WAY too much!!!!). I'm thinking in January we may have to have jeans and they take a lot of room. WWYD? I don't really want to have to take too much carry on as we have a connection in Denver and lugging all that through the airport kind of defeats the purpose of taking ME from the airport. I thought about shipping a box ahead of time, but is that really saving me much? I could do laundry while we are there (not that I really want to!) but would clothes dry by hanging them that time of year down there? I hang most of our stuff instead of putting it through the dryer, but we live where there is ZERO humidity most of the time!

I just read my post and I sound like a REAL WHINER, but I don't mean to be. I'm just trying to have my cake and eat it too!!!

Any suggestions???

Thanks,
Kari

 

[imthatgirl]

i would fit everything into 4 bags. that will cost you $60 each way. i really think one suitcase per person is enough, if you dont have large suitcases maybe its time to invest in some?
just take a look at what youre bringing. oh and you each get a carry on? if you have to split the last suitcase between the 4 of you to carry on that would be another option.

 

[mommy-on-the-move]

I only took 3 cases & a stroller for 6 people for 2 weeks when we flew from London to Orlando with United (remind me again NEVER to fly united with a TED connecting flight again as long as I live!!!! - we had six minutes to run over 40 gates in washington to make our connecting flight because united decided 1h 45m was enough time to connect and then the first leg was delayed 1h 35!!!!! Six minutes with 2 aging grandparents with heart issues, 1 sleeping 4 year old, a baby, a preteen and an autistic 5 year old was NOT an easy run to make!)

We packed light- we found some items of clothing like trousers we just didn't wear in the heat. The laundry was easy to use- coin operated machines and open all sorts of hours, my mom and i went down to do ours whilst my DH and dad watched the kids

 

[all4fun]

I have been researching packing light for our next trip which will be three weeks long, one week of which is a cruise... we don't want to pack more than we can handle, never mind the extra baggage fees! anyway, I just came across this link today, which has a lot of helpful tips. Thought you might find it helpful too:

http://www.packinglight.net/plight/text_1.asp?tx_id=90

oh and the other tip I keep reading...lay all your clothes out on the bed before packing, then put half of them away. You don't need as much as you think you do!

hth!

 

[natnelliesmom]

We fly Delta so we don't have to worry about baggage fees. We also rent DVC points and stay in a one-bedroom villa so we have our own washer and dryer. It's so worth it for that convenience.
We can pack lightly- 2 suitcases of clothes, one of food (since we also have a full kitchen) and one for toiletries and misc. It leaves us plenty of room to pack up our souvenirs since we eat the food!
We also travel with a big double stroller, a laptop computer bag, and a carry on bag.
And that's "light" for us!! Kinda scary!
-Sarah

 

[Tisha_PA]

I would ship any food and toiletries down ahead of time. Check the prices at Fedex and UPS to see what it would cost. I would also consider packing enough clothes for half your trip and then doing a load or two of wash while you're there. Also try to use a carry-on that is as large as it can be. I have a tendency to overpack also but I'm getting better at it.